Blomberg is proud to announce it has received the 2018 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year Award for the second year in a row for its outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through energy efficiency.

CRETE house – Washington University in St. Louis’s first-ever entry in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon – is like no other. First of all, it’s constructed of concrete, not wood or steel. And it eschews a traditional HVAC system, instead using water coils embedded within the panels to warm or cool the home.

Over the last two years, the WashU Solar Decathlon team of more than 100 undergraduate and graduate students have created the single pre-cast concrete structure as a demonstration of integrated advanced building technology and a compelling alternative to traditional wood, light-frame construction.

A unique partnership between Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Daytona State College has created the BEACH (Building Efficient, Affordable and Comfortable Homes) House – their first-ever entry in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon.

The competition challenges the 12 participating university teams to design and build full-sized solar-powered houses, which are then disassembled, shipped to Denver, Colo., and reassembled for judging and exhibition to the public on Oct. 5-9, and 12-15, 2017.

Most current University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) students were in high school when devastating tornadoes struck the state in 2011. Their experience of the events and the aftermath was the inspiration behind surviv(AL), says Bambi Ingram, coordinator of the university’s Sustainability Program.

In their first-ever entry in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, UAB teamed up with Calhoun Community College to design a home that will withstand extreme weather events, but is also affordable and suited to the warm southern climate. At the heart of surviv(AL) is a composite and steel “strong room” that extends below the level of the house’s subfloor with permanent footings to protect the people inside, even if the house around them is impacted. The strong room is constructed with tornado panels developed by UAB engineers to withstand 250 mph winds.